How to retrieve files from an earlier version of Windows in Windows Vista

This article describes how to retrieve files from an earlier version of Microsoft Windows in Windows Vista.

When you perform a custom installation of Windows Vista, files that were used in the earlier version of Windows are stored in the Windows.old folder. The Windows.old folder is generated when you perform a custom installation of Windows Vista.

The Windows.old folder is generated if the following conditions are true:

• You install Windows Vista on a computer on which Microsoft Windows XP or Microsoft Windows 2000 is installed.
• You perform a custom installation of Windows Vista instead of an upgrade installation.
• You install Windows Vista on the drive on which Windows XP or Windows 2000 is installed.

The Windows.old folder contains the following folders:

• Windows
• "Documents and Settings"
• "Program Files"

The Windows folder mainly stores programs and files that are required to run the earlier version of Windows.

The "Documents and Settings" folder mainly stores the "My Documents" folder and the Favorites folder. Additionally, the "Documents and Settings" folder stores the desktop files that were used by the earlier version of Windows.

The "Program Files" folder mainly stores the programs that were installed on the earlier version of Windows. To use these programs in Windows Vista, you must reinstall these programs in Windows Vista. Before you do this, verify that the programs are compatible with Windows Vista. For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: Note The folders that are stored in the Windows.old folder contain some files that you used in the earlier version of Windows. The type of files that are stored depends on the computer that you use. We recommend that you always back up any important files before you install Windows Vista.

To retrieve files from an earlier version of Windows in Windows Vista, follow these steps:

1. Click Start
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   , type %systemdrive%\Windows.old in the Start Search box, and then press ENTER.
2. Retrieve the files from the Windows.old folder. For more information about how to do this, click the following article numbers to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
   932912  (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/932912/ ) How to restore your personal files after you perform a custom installation of Windows Vista
   933210  (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/933210/ ) How to move Internet Explorer favorites from an earlier version of Windows to the Internet Explorer Favorites folder in Windows Vista
   933211  (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/933211/ ) How to move or to copy music files from the Windows.old folder in Windows Vista

For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: